Pumpkin Pie Applesauce
Pumpkin pie applesauce is the perfect combination of pumpkin flavors and creamy applesauce. You will love this fall flavored version using pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices. Homemade applesauce is a tasty and easy snack to have on hand.
A delicious twist to typical homemade cinnamon applesauce! Your family will love the delightful aroma this gives your home while it cooks! My mom brought over 30 apples, and we made 3 different batches of homemade applesauce. My mom, my two kids and I had a lot of fun making the different types.
Preparing homemade applesauce is a great fall activity to involve the family in. This flavor of pumpkin spice applesauce is my personal favorite!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Apples: Any type will work. I used red delicious and gala apples in this recipe
- Lemon Juice: To keep the apples from browning and the acidity helps bring out the sweetness
- Cinnamon: A perfect fall flavor spice
- Water
- 100% pumpkin puree: Make sure you aren’t using pumpkin pie filling
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice: The smell and flavor are delicious. If you don’t have this on hand you can use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon instead.
- Brown sugar: Omit altogether or use maple syrup or honey
How to make pumpkin pie applesauce
- Core and peel 10 apples. It is okay if some skin is left on: added fiber!
- Chop the apples into same sized pieces so they will cook equally.
- Place in a large pot and pour in the lemon juice, water, cinnamon, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Note: The water will NOT cover the apples and that is okay. The apples will cook down and release moisture while they cook.
- Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Check at 10 minutes and pierce apples with a fork to check for softness. The softer the apples are, the easier to puree.
- Allow the apples to cool.
- Stir in pumpkin puree (the puree is already cooked so you do not need to cook it with the apples).
- Blend with an immersion blender, food processor, or blender. If you do not have these, you can use a potato masher or fork. Your applesauce consistency will vary based on the method you use. You can leave it slightly clumpy or blend it to a smooth puree (my favorite).
What type of apples to use?
As you can see from the photo, we used quite a variety of different apples! Red delicious, gala apples, and granny smith. Any type of apple will work well. The granny smith apples had a tart taste and are a harder apple so they required a longer cook time.
Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious taste AND smell
- Easy to grab snack or side dish
- Healthy
- A fun fall activity to include your kids in cooking
- Freezes well
How to blend the applesauce
Immersion Blender (My preferred method): Handheld blender that you can use directly in the pot you cooked the apples in
Food processor: Pour in applesauce and blend. This will give a very nice, smooth consistency.
Blender: Pour into blender. You may have to do it in 2 batches to not overfill.
Potato masher: Low tech, but you will gain some good muscles!
More fall snacks
Ah, cinnamon, pumpkin, and apples. Fall is the time for all the best snacks! Some of my favorites that I make every year are these Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds, these amazing Eggless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Muffins, or this Eggless Apple Cake.
If you made this recipe, I’d be so grateful if you left a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a quick comment sharing how it turned out. And if you haven’t already, follow along here:
– Lexi with Our Slice of Home
Pumpkin Pie Applesauce
Ingredients
- 10 apples cord, peeled, and chopped into same sized pieces
- 1 ⅓ cup water
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup 100% pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Core and peel 10 apples (its okay if some skin is left on).
- Chop the apples into same sized pieces so they will cook equally.
- Place chopped apples in a large pot and pour in the lemon juice, water, cinnamon, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla.1 ⅓ cup water, Juice from half a lemon, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 10 apples
- Warm over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
- Check at 10 minutes and pierce apples with a fork to check for softness. The softer the apples are, the easier to puree.
- Allow the apples to cool.
- Stir in pumpkin puree (the puree is already cooked so you do not need to cook it with the apples).1/2 cup 100% pumpkin puree
- Use an immersion blender on low speed to blend to desired consistency. You can also pour into a blender but very careful when pouring if the apples are still warm.
Saving this for fall!
We have tried several homemade applesauce flavors and this is a favorite of my mine and my kids!